After the officials of St. Mary Church in Awla Hamza village in Osirat, Sohag, submited requests to authorities and the governor of Sohag, to remove and rebuild the church, the governor’s approved.
Fr. Abakir Rifat, pastor of the church, the church construction dates back to the era of Muhammad Ali Pasha since 1840, ie, it is a 177 years old church and serves about 15 thousand families, indicating that it is the only church in Osirat. but the current state of the building has become a danger to worshipers and neighboring houses.
For his part, Dr. Ayman Abdel-Moneim, Governor of Sohag, said that many meetings were held with the people of the village, Muslims and Copts, under the Egyptian family house umbrella and all welcomed to rebuild the church on the same space, with current height and exterior appearance of the church building, and in accordance with the drawings approved by the city, stressing on the spirit of love and tolerance.
